Honing machine and sizing mechanism therefor



2 Sheets-Sheet l M. J. GROSS HONING MACHINE AND SIZING MECHANISM THEREFOR A ril 9, 1957 Filed Aug. 14, 1955 M. J. GROSS 2,78 7,865

HONING MACHINE AND srzmc MECHANISM THEREFOR April 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. l4,

HONENG MAQIHINE AND SIZING MECHANISM THEREFOR Maurice Ii. Gross, Rockford, 11L, assignor to Barnes Drill Cm, Rockford, llll., a corporation of Illinois Application August 14, 1953, Serial No. 37,31,201

9 Claims. (Cl. 51-34) This invention relates to honing ,machinesof the type in which a hollow plug for sensing-the attainment of a desired diameter of the work bore, is mounted'on the honing tool head and surrounds the tool :spindlesoiasto come into feeling engagement with the work .bore during each reciprocation and enters the here when the desired diameter has been reached.

The general object is to provide, in ahone assembly of the above character, a sizing plug of adjustable diameter which may be changed in size by the simplemaniplk lation of a novel adjusting member.

A more detailed object is to effect the size adjustment through the intermediary of a wedge member surround- ,ing the tool spindle and movable axially of. the latter to expand and contract the gaging surface of the sizing plug.

A further object is to join the sizing plug and the hollow adjusting memberby a novel-threaded coupling through which the adjustment may be effected simply by turning the adjusting member in one direction ,orthe other.

The invention also resides inthc novel construction and arrangement by which the adjusting member limits the collapse of the plug and is accessible foradjustment without disassembly of the honing tool.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

a honing machine embodying another modifiedform ,of

the invention.

Fig. 7 is aperspective view of the adjusting member used in the form shown in Fig. 6.

The invention is shown in the drawings forpurposes of illustration incorporated in asso-called vertical machine in which a'workpiece v10 is suitably clamped on a.ho;ri-

zontal support 11 to locate its bore 12 in position to be honed in a succession of vertical ,reciprocations of a honing tool 13. The latter is carried on the lowerend of an elongated tubular spindle 14 projecting downwardly from and journaled for rotation on a head 15 -,Wh1C l1 is slidably vertically and accurately guided (along laterally spacedrods lemounted in theusual ,wayon -,a column 17 upstanding fromthe machinebase.

Suitable power actuators and controls .welllknown .lilf

the ar rec p o a thehe .15, t rnthe. sp ndl .154 and expand and collapse the hone 13 to effect each'honing States Patent cycle which includes entry of the callapsed 'honeinto the work bore 12, expansion of the. stones 13 under pressure against the bore wall,-simultaneous reciprocation and rotation of the hone within the bore until .thelatter is enlarged to a predetermined size, collapse of the hone, and withdrawal of the tool out of the finished bore. Expansion and collapse of the honingstones 18 is usually effected by cams within the hone body 19 actuatedbya rod 20 extending up through the hollow spindle 14 to a power actuator 21.

'Todetermine when the bore 12 has beenhoned to..the desired diameter, a hollow gaging element 22 surrounding the drive spindle is mounted on the head 15 for reciprocation with the latter so as to. come intofeelingengagement with theworkpiece 10 during each down stroke...and enter the bore 12 when the desired diameter isreached. The gaging element is in the form of a ring integral with the lower end of a sleeve 26 through which the spindle projects loosely thus allowing for free lateral floating to the desired size. Transaxial floating of the ringisobtained by supportingthe sleeve 26 at its upper endjfor universal swiveling about a center substantially-coincident with the spindle axis. The swivel joint is formed impart .by a spherical enlargement or ball 27 whoseexternal surface 28 is. seated in a mating surt'ace29ouaQfiange .30 through which the sleeve 26 projects to exposethe gage 22 to the work. The flange ison theend ofa .tubel somewhat largerthan the sleeve and having at its other end an external flange 32 secured as byscrews 33.10 The latter is slidable along stationary guides 35 paralleling the head guides 16 and is connected as .by bolts 36 to .thehead 15 for movement withlthe latter.

Cooperating with the surface 29 to complete the ball joint is a second internal surface 37 disposed above the ball 27 and formed on the lower end of a sleeve .38

whose lower flange end is guided in the cylindrical .bore

39 of the tube 31. To urge thesleeve 38 endwisetowa'rd the ball 27, a spring 40 coiled around the sleeve actslin compression between a flange 41 and an opposedabutment 42 on the tube 31 near the upper end thereof.

During the honing operation, the gage sleeve26 moves up and down with the head. Nearthe' end of each .down

v stroke, the gaging surface 25 partially enters the .bor'e12 and comes against the end of the wall thereof as shown ,in Fig. 1. When the bore is undersize, the gageis blocked against further movement so that, in the continued short movement of the head to complete the down stroke, the

.lower surface 29 of the ball joint moves away from.,the

ball 27. If the sleeve 26 is out of alinement with theborle, it swivels about the center of the bore 27 and automatically becomes centered in the bore. 'When the boreiinally reaches the desired diameter, the spherical gage 22 enters fully'into the bore. As a result, the gage ,sleeve26 and "the sleeve 38 continues down with the head iduringthe final portion of the stroke. This movement, which indicatesthat the boreisto size, is sensed by aswitch 48 (Fig. 5) that is contacted by an arm 45projectingradi'z lly outwardly, from the flange 41 on thesleeve38 through a slot 44 in the tubeSl. The switch maybe utilizedin .amanner well knownintheart to-cause collapseand withdrawal of the. hone.

According .to the invention, vthe gaging element .22 is constructed'ina, novel manner -.to ,be adjustable-in diam eter .and thus, is. adapted .for .use; in' honing .diifer eritisize "bores; Such adjustment'is achieved without matei'ially increasing the space required by the gaging element and without interfering with either the normal honing action of the tool 13 or the transaxial floating of the gage. To these ends, the gaging element is made radially expansible and is adjusted in size by the simple manipulation of a novel adjusting member 60 which preferably is accessible from the exterior of the honing machine so that the adjustment may be made without disassembling any of the parts. Although the gaging element is expansible, its size is rigidly maintained by the adjusting member so that the gage accurately determines when the bore has tained the desired diameter.

To make the gaging element 22 expansible, the lower or gage end of the sleeve 26 is divided into a plurality of angularly spaced parts 61 which are moved radially by the adjusting member 60 to change the diameter of the gaging surface 25. These parts 61 are integrally joined to preserve the one-piece construction of the gaging ele ment and are resilient so that they are flexed to change the size of the gage. Such flexing is obtained by forming the adjusting member 60 as a hollow wedge encircling the spindle 14 and engaging the gage parts 61 which thus are moved radially when the wedge is shifted axially. Preferably, the wedge 60 acts against the inside of the flexible parts 61 and serves as a rigid backing for the latter to prevent the gage from collapsing when entering the bore 12.

Axial shifting of the wedge 60 to flex the gage parts 61 is obtained through the medium of a coupling 62 which connects the wedge and the parts. This coupling causes the wedge to move accurately along the axis of the gaging element 22 and thus insures that the parts 61 are moved radially equal amounts to obtain a uniform change in the size of the gaging surface 25. Herein, the coupling 62 is a threaded connection joining the wedge and the sleeve 26 so that the wedge is shifted axially when turned in opposite directions.

In the present instance, advantage is taken of the fact that the sleeve 26 is supported only at its upper end to form the radially movable parts 61 by slotting the sleeve longitudinally from the lower end of the sleeve up to a point a substantial distance above the gaging surface 25, the slots 63 terminating in small holes 64. The portions of the sleeve between adjacent slots are, in effect, axiallyprojecting resilient fingers which may be flexed outwardly to enlarge the diameter of the gage surface without changing the effective contour of the gage and which thus constitute the radially movable parts 61. At the lower end of the sleeve 26, the internal surfaces 65 of the fingers 61 are flared outwardly and these tapered surfaces are engaged by the wedge 60 to flex the fingers outwardly as the wedge is moved up along the spindle 14. Preferably the wedge 60 is a ring with an outer conical surface 66 mating with the internal tapered surfaces 65 v on the fingers 61. The threaded coupling 62 between the ring 60 and the sleeve 26 may, as illustrated in Figs. 1 through 4, be made to occupy the same axial space as the wedge by cutting threads directly on the tapered wedge and finger surfaces 65 and 66. At its lower end, the wedge ring projects below the gage sleeve and has a flange 67 in which radial slots 68 are cut to receive a suitable spanner wrench for turning the ring to shift the latter axially. With the end of the ring exposed in this manner, the adjustment of the ring and hence of the gaging surface diameter is readily effected from the exterior of the honing machine.

By turning the Wedge ring 60 to move the latter up into the sleeve 26, the fingers 61 are flexed and the diameter of the gaging surface 25 is increased progressively. Turning the ring in the opposite direction results in the wedge shifting down relative to the sleeve and permits the fingers to contract reducing the gaging surface diameter. The proper size of the surface 25 may be determined easily by means of a suitable micrometer or a master gage.

. Instead of forming the threaded coupling 62 along the same portions of the sleeve 26 and the wedge ring 60 occupied by the tapered surfaces 65 and 66, the coupling may be separated from these surfaces as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, a smooth wedge surface 66 on the ring 60 engages similar surfaces 65 on the insides of the gage fingers 61 and effect the expansion of the gage when the ring is shifted axially. The threaded coupling 62 comprises a thread cut on a cylindrical extension 69 of the wedge ring above the wedge surface 66 and mating with a thread in an enlargement 70 of the sleeve bore 24. In other respects, this arrangement is the same as illustrated in Figs. 1 through 4.

The invention also is applicable to a gage which has a cylindrical rather than a spherical gaging surface and which is mounted for bodily lateral shifting instead of universal swiveling. In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 for example, the gaging surface is formed on the outside of a cylindrical sleeve or ring 22 abutting against the lower flanged end of a sleeve 38 which slides axially in the tube 31'. The inner surface 65 of the gage ring 22' is flared downwardly and mates with the conical surface 66 of the wedge ring 60 A cylindrical extension 69 of the latter above the conical surface 66 is threaded into the sleeve 38 to form the threaded coupling 62 and permit axial adjustment of the wedge ring. Thus, in this case, the wedge ring serves the additional function of holding the gage ring 22 in place against the sleeve 38.

To permit lateral floating of the gage 22 the flange 41 on the lower end of the sleeve 38 is smaller, for example .O20 .030 of an inch, than the bore 39 of the tube 31". At its lower end, the gage ring is tapered as indicated at 71 and thus converges downwardly to a diameter smaller than the final work bore 12 by an amount slightly greater than the permissible lateral float of the ring. As a result, the gage ring shifts laterally and becomes centered with the work bore when the tapered end 71 of the ring encounters the work.

The spring 40* helically coiled around the sleeve 38 acts in compression on a washer 72 hearing against the flange 41 and yieldably urges the sleeve downwardly toward the position shown in Fig. 6 limited by a washer 73 and the inturned flange on the lower end of the tube 31* against which washer the sleeve flange seats. As in the case of the swiveled gage, the spring urges the gage 22 into contact with the workpiece and permits the gage to move up into the tube 331 when the work bore 12 is undersize.

The radially movable parts 61 which are flexed to expand the gage ring 22 are defined by slots 63 extending longitudinally of the ring. The slots extend throughout the major portion of the length of the ring and alternate slots are cut from opposite ends of the ring. With this arrangement of the slots, the two ends of the ring expand equally when the wedge is advanced into the sleeve 38 and thus the gage ring 22 retains its cylindrical shape in all positions of adjustment.

It will be observed that, with the present invention, the gaging surface is readily adjustable in diameter and thus a single gage may be used in honing bores of various diameters. Whether a spherical or cylindrical gaging surface is used, the adjustment is eflfected by a simple turning of the wedge 60 to thread the latter into or out of the 'gage ring 22. This adjustment may be made easily from the exterior of the honing machine without disassembling any of the parts. By arranging the wedge to expand the gaging surface from the inside of the gage sleeve, the latter is made rigid so that it does not collapse upon entering the work bore.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a honing machine, the combination of, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in a work bore, a gaging sleeve loosely encircling and extending along said spindle and mounted on said head for movement axially mt the spindleandalso for lateral shifting relative thereto -i-n-a transaxialplane, a feeler on the{ end of :said sleeve ;-positions .of the sleeve and being slotted longitudinally to form a plurality of flexible fingers angularly spaced around the sleeve, a ring larger than and encircling said spindle and, having an external wedge surface engaging the interior of said fingers, and a threaded connection between said ring and said sleeve and operable when the ring is turned in opposite directions to shift the ring axially and permit flexing of said fingers thereby to adjust the diameter of said feeler surface.

2. In a honing machine, the combination of, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in a work bore, a sleeve loosely encircling and extending along said spindle, means on said head mounting said sleeve for movement axially of the spindle and also for transaxial movement into a plurality of different positions, a ring supported on the lower end of said sleeve adjacent the hone and having an external gaging surface adapted to enter the bore when the latter is honed to the proper size and having a diameter of fixed length in a transaxial plane in all of said positions, said ring being slotted longitudinally to form a plurality of radially movable parts having smooth internal surfaces tapering longitudinally, a wedge ring larger than and encircling said spindle and having a wedge surface mating with said tapered surfaces, and a cylindrical extension on said wedge ring threaded into a cylindrical portion of the bore of said sleeve and operable when the wedge ring is turned to cause shifting of the ring axially and movement of said parts radially thereby to adjust the diameter of said gaging surface.

3. In a honing machine, the combination of, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in a work bore, a gaging sleeve loosely encircling and extending along said spindle, means on said head supporting said sleeve for axial movement along said spindle and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial plane, a plurality of angularly spaced flexible parts projecting axially from the end of said sleeve adjacent said hone, an external feeler surface on the outside of said parts adapted to enter the bore when the latter is honed to the proper size, said surface remaining of fixed diameter in said plane for all lateral positions of the sleeve, an internal thread formed around the interior of said fingers and tapering along the axis of said sleeve, and a tapered ring larger than and encircling said spindle and having an external thread mating with the thread on said fingers whereby the ring when turned in opposite directions causes flexing of the fingers to expand and contract said surface.

4. In a honing machine, the combination of, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in a work bore, and a plug type gage for detecting enlargement of the bore to a predetermined diameter, said gage comprising a tubular sleeve loosely encircling and extending along said spindle and having the end portion adjacent the hone slotted longitudinally to form a plurality of axially projecting flexible fingers angularly spaced around the sleeve, means supporting said sleeve from its other end for axial movement along said spindle and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial plane, an external feeler surface extending around said sleeve on the outer sides of said fingers and remaining of fixed diameter in said plane for all lateral positions of the sleeve, an internal surface formed around the interior of said fingers and tapering along the axis of said sleeve, a tapered ring encircling said spindle and mating with said tapered surface, and a threaded connection between said ring and said sleeve and operable when the ring is turned to shift the ring axially--andcause-flexing of -said'fingersthereby to adjust the diameter of said-feeler' surface.

'5. In a machinefor honing a work bore, the combination-of, areciprocable tool head, a rotary spindle mounted on said headand carrying a hone for operating in the bore, a gage sleeve surrounding and extending along said spindle and supported on said head for movement axially of the spindle and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial-plane, the end portion of said sleeve adjacent'said hone'beingslotted and flexible to expand and collapse, an. external feeler surface formed on the outside periphery of saidsleeve in the slotted end portion thereof to enter the work bore when the latter is honed to the proper size, said feeler surface remaining of fixed diameter in said plane for all lateral positions of the sleeve, a tapered surface formed on the slotted end por tion of said sleeve and tapering axially of the sleeve, a ring larger than said spindle and having a tapered surface mating with the surface on said sleeve and operable when the ring is moved axially in opposite directions to expand and contract said slotted end portion and thus vary the diameter of said surface, and a threaded connection between said ring and said sleeve and operable to cause the ring to move axially when turned.

6, In a honing machine, the combination of, a head having a rotary spindle projecting therefrom and carrying a honing tool, a tubular gaging ring encircling said spindle and mounted on said head for axial movement along the spindle and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial plane, said ring having a plurality of angularly spaced radially movable parts defining an external gaging surface remaining of fixed diameter in said plane for all lateral positions of the ring, a hollow wed-ge larger than and encircling said spindle and engageable with the interior of said parts, and a threaded coupling connecting said wedge and said ring and operable in response to relative turning of the wedge and the ring in opposite directions to shift the wedge axially and expand and contract said parts thereby to change the diameter of said gaging surface.

7. In a honing machine, a head having a rotary spindle projecting therefrom and carrying a honing tool, a hollow gaging element encircling said spindle and mounted on said head for axial movement along the spindle and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial plane, said element having a pluarlity of angularly spaced radially movable parts defining an external gaging surface remaining of fixed diameter in said plane for all lateral positions of said element, a hollow member encircling said spindle and shiftable axially of said element, said member constituting a wedge engaging said parts to expand or contract said surface upon shifting of the member, and a threaded coupling associated with said member and operatively connecting said member and said element to shift the wedge axially in opposite directions in response to relative turning of the parts of said coupling.

8. In a honing machine, the combination of, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in a work bore, a hollow gaging element encircling said spindle and mounted for axial movement along the spindle and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial plane, said element having a plurality of angularly spaced radially movable parts defining an external gaging surface whose diameter in said plane remains fixed for all lateral positions of said element, a ring encircling said spindle and shiftable axially of said element, said ring having a wedge surface engaging said parts to expand or contract said gaging surface upon shifting of the member, and a coupling joining said ring and said element and operable to effect axial shifting of the ring to vary the size of said gaging surface.

9. In a honing machine, the combination of, a rotary spindle carrying a honing tool, a hollow gaging element encircling the axis of said spindle, means supporting said element for axial movement along said axis and also for lateral shifting relative thereto in a transaxial plane, said element having at one end a plurality of angularly spaced radially movable parts defining an external gaging surface remaining of fixed diameter in said plane for all lateral positions of said element, a member accessible for adjustment from said element end and mounted within said parts for independent shifting along said axis, said member constituting a wedge engaging said parts to expand or contract said surface upon shifting of the member, and a threaded coupling associated with said mem- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,657,914 Chadwick Ian. 31, 1928 2,478,310 Payne Aug. 9, 1949 2,631,414 Muehling Mar. 17, 1953 2,665,597 Hill Jan. 12, 1954 

